The present invention relates to a vehicle panel arrangement, such as a motor vehicle roof with a roof opening, closable by a rigid, displaceable, and preferably also tiltable cover, to whose under side a headlining is mounted in the vicinity of its leading edge, said headlining consisting of a fabric-covered frame or a plate, and the edges of said headlining being covered by a frame part surrounding the roof opening from above when the cover is closed.
In known motor vehicle roofs of this type, the headlining is connected directly and rigidly to the cover. Because of the practical necessity to provide height adjustment of the cover, practically always required for reasons of tolerance, in such manner that the upper surface of said cover is exactly flush with the fixed part of the roof when the cover is closed, it can happen that the headlining either does not fit against the frame part surrounding the roof cutout, which is visually unattractive, or the headlining rests against the frame part under excessive pressure, which can lead to bulges and folds.
An object of the invention is to provide a motor vehicle roof in which a gentle pressure of the headlining against the frame surrounding the roof opening is always ensured independently of the height adjustment of the cover.
This object is achieved according to the invention by virtue of the fact that the headlining is connected to the cover by spring means, said spring means pressing the headlining against the upper surface of the frame part running along the leading edge of the roof opening when the sliding cover is closed.
The spring means in a preferred embodiment consists of leaf springs, mounted at one end on the forward part of the frame of the headlining or the plate forming the headlining, and at the other end against a track, said track being connected by clips to a cross strut on the under side of the sliding cover. Assembly of the headlining is therefore no more difficult than the assembly of the previously known headlining which was rigidly connected to the cover. Instead of individual leaf springs, a flexible shaped panel or plastic part can be used, extending over the entire width of the cover, according to other preferred embodiments of the invention. If desirable, a part of this type can simultaneously form the forward part of the frame of the headlining. This type of part which extends over the entire width of the cover avoids production of wind noise, which can develop when individual leaf springs are used. Preferably, the spring means, i.e., the leaf springs or the flexible shaped panel or plastic part, extend backward from their point of attachment to the sliding cover. This makes it possible to displace the cross struts on the sliding cover, to which the headlining is attached, considerably forward in the vicinity of the leading edge of the cover, so that the guide shoes of the cover, which normally rest against this cross strut, are located far forward. This is advantageous in sliding covers whose rear edge can be tilted above the roof plane, since in this case the leading edge is not lowered so far during tilting or, with the forward edge tilted to the same extent, the degree to which the rear edge of the cover is tilted can be increased.
By extending the spring means from their fastening point on the sliding cover rearward, a space is created delimited by the sliding cover, headlining, and spring means, said space advantageously being used for receiving a wind deflector, said deflector being swivelable about an axis at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle in the forward area of the roof opening.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a single embodiment in accordance with the present invention; and wherein